Ari Taymor, a 2014 Food & Wine Best New Chef, earned acclaim for luxurious combos like English muffins with uni, burrata, and caviar. That said, when he and front of house partner Ashleigh Parsons shifted Alma from Downtown to take over the diner inside The Standard, Hollywood, he dialed up comfort with dishes like the patty melt. A dripping medium rare patty joins tart pickles, melted cheese and caramelized onions between thick rafts of toasted Clark Street Bread sourdough.

This Echo Park hangout from Dana Hollister dates to 1949 and could easily double as a “Mad Men” set. Slide into a red booth or luxuriate on the aqua-walled patio with a slab of house-baked pie, or better yet, a patty melt. Their melt pretty classic, but features a couple flourishes. A half-pound patty of short rib and steak trimmings team with caramelized onions that are roasted in balsamic reduction before joining Swiss cheese in toasted rye bread.

Chef Christian Page helped revive this L.A. classic, which debuted just down 6th Street in 1948. Now the restaurant occupies a prime Hotel Normandie corner and still uses Cassell’s original meat grinder and cross-fire broiler. Their patty melt features a house-ground chuck and brisket patty that’s available in 1/3-pound increments. No matter the size, expect caramelized onions and cheddar or Swiss cheese on griddled rye. This melt is a beast, but it’s still worth adding a side of signature potato salad folded with Turbinado sugar and mustard.

Kristen Trattner and Chef Monica May were early adapters to downtown, and that investment has paid off for them with The Nickel Diner, a classic spot in the Old Bank District with hand-painted menus, red booths and some of the heartiest food in the neighborhood. Their patty melt is nice and greasy, piled with Fontina cheese, caramelized onions, and Dijon mustard sauce on rye toast. Better yet, you can add onion rings for a buck.

King Beach café resides right through the front door of the multi-faceted culinary compound in Playa del Rey from Brooke Williamson & Nick Roberts. Patty melt might not scream beach food, but it’s a great sandwich featuring a patty that combines dry-aged rib-eye and chuck. Gruyere gets some play, along with tangy house BBQ sauce, caramelized onions and bitter arugula on marble rye, which doubles as a sponge for all the beef juice if you let the melt sit too long.

If you don’t know that The Apple Pan is committed to “Quality Forever,” ask somebody. Better yet, grab a seat in a red cushioned stool and belly up to the U-shaped counter that dates to 1947 in West L.A. Their patty melt is off-menu, featuring a griddled quarter-pound patty with sweet cooked onions and a slice of sharp melted Tillamook cheddar on a choice of white, wheat, or rye bread.

Chef Ted Hopson cranks comfort to 11 at The Bellwether, the Studio City restaurant he co-owns with Ann-Marie Verdi. French fries require a three-day process, and the patty melt is similarly ambitious. A coarse brisket, short rib, and beef shoulder patty forms a beautiful crust on a cast-iron skillet, but stays pink inside. Melted Taleggio cheese and caramelized onions join buttery grilled rye bread. Calabrian chile aioli comes on the side, so you can customize your spice preference.

Pass by reams of the Beverly Hills Hotel’s signature banana leaf wallpaper to reach this subterranean coffee shop with green carpets, shiny black counters and a tantalizing pie and cake case. The property is known to be luxurious and cater to celebrities, but their beef patty melt is pure comfort. A griddled sirloin patty joins cheddar and onions on grilled rye bread. Bonus: the dripping sandwich comes with creamy, crunchy cole slaw.